Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Protect seniors from abuse

Senate should OK House bill to curb those who prey on elderly

A law to better protect seniors from neglect, abuse and exploitation deserves to be passed by
the Ohio Senate.

Stories of senior mistreatment, as vividly reported in
The Dispatch’s March 15-16 “Elder Abuse” series, are stomach-churning. People have been
scammed of their life’s savings after years of living frugally. Others have been horribly
neglected.

But Ohio’s current law is outdated and insufficient. House Bill 24 is a strong effort to address
this growing problem.

The bill updates the state’s legal definitions of elder abuse to include financial harm, neglect
and exploitation. This isn’t just a matter of compassion; scammers cost taxpayers, because elderly
victims often must turn to public assistance to survive.

The bill would boost training for protective-services case workers. And it would have more
people watching out for the elderly, by expanding the state’s current list of mandatory reporters.
H.B. 24 would expand those required to report suspicions — such as clergy, attorneys and
nursing-home employees — to include firefighters, accountants, notaries public, real-estate
brokers, bank employees and pharmacists, among others.

“If it can be caught early, people can be protected from empty bank accounts,” Beth Kowalczyk,
chief policy officer for the Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging, told legislators. “Bank
employees and financial planners are frequently in a position to see what may be going on in an
older adult’s home.”

Charlie Holderman, the retired supervisor of Adult Protective Services for Montgomery County,
recalled working a case where a bank had caught a couple draining the account of a 94-year-old man
whose worth totaled $5 million.

A bank had taken the initiative to alert Holderman’s agency that the husband of the couple, a
prominent attorney, and his wife were writing themselves checks every day for $2,000 or more.
Holderman’s agency went to court to stop the exploitation, but the man had lost $700,000.

“Although this was an extreme case,” Holderman told a House committee, “there are many instances
of exploitation that are happening all over the state.”

How many is anyone’s guess. The National Center on Elder Abuse estimates that 1 in 10 elderly
Americans is abused or neglected each year, often by trusted family members or caregivers.

One of H.B. 24’s key provisions would require the state to create and manage a registry to
identify patterns of elder abuse.

“For the first time,” said Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, “Ohio will be able to accurately monitor
and track the abuse of our senior citizens.”

Sharing this information with law enforcement would allow for the tracking of perpetrators and
victims across county lines. And by getting a handle on the size of this problem, advocates for the
elderly can build a better case to increase state funding.

Some Ohio counties currently are without a single full-time adult-protective-services
worker.
The Senate has twice before failed to pass elder-abuse laws sent by the House. Just who is for
draining granny of her life savings? Or leaving grandpa hungry?

No senior citizen should have to endure the indignity of theft and mistreatment. The Senate
should pass this bill.
Full Article & Source:Protect seniors from abuse

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NASGA (National Association to STOP Guardian Abuse, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) public-interest, civil rights organization formed by victims of unlawful and abusive guardianships and conservatorships. We seek legislative reform of existing law and upgrading of criminal penalties for court-appointed fiduciaries misusing protective proceedings for unjust enrichment and engaging in elder and family abuse.

Our mission is to promote the safety and well being of adults subject to injury and damage in their person and property through unlawful and abusive guardianship and/or conservatorship proceedings; to end the growing violations of due process, civil and human rights; to work towards ultimate legislative reform of guardianship as presently practiced; upgrading of criminal penalties for court-appointed fiduciaries misusing protective proceedings for unjust enrichment; and to be a support organization for victims and their families. We carry out our mission through research, outreach, education and advocacy; and going forward, by alliance with community interest, law reform, civil rights and other advocacy organizations.

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